The Great Commanders Of The American Civil War

With April 12, 2011, set to mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, the time is ripe for a new assessment of the conflict’s most influential and controversial military leaders. Generals South, Generals North highlights twenty-four such commanders—twelve each from the Confederacy and the Union. Best-selling author and military historian Alan Axelrod presents a biography of each, narrates the major engagements in which each fought (emphasizing tactical leadership and outcome produced), and explores each man’s ever-controversial reputation. His consequent rankings are based on both historical and modern-day sources. Each profile is accompanied by callout quotations, photographs of the general, additional illustrations such as battle depictions, and a map depicting either a major engagement or the general’s movements throughout the war. The result is an ideal quick reference for Civil War buffs and a beautiful addition to the library of general readers that is sure to start as many arguments as it settles.

In The Great Commanders of the American Civil War, the best military leaders of both sides are pitted against each other and their strengths and weaknesses examined – Robert E. Lee versus George Meade at Gettysburg, Ulysses S. Grant versus Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh, William Tecumseh Sherman versus John Bell Hood in the March to the Sea, along with eight other pairs. The book also explores a decisive battle between each pair of adversaries, highlighting the decisions made and why the battle was won. Each featured battle includes a contextual introduction, a description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially commissioned color map illustrating the dispositions and movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader grasp the course of each battle. Featuring full-color illustrations, paintings and photographs alongside the battle maps.

Provides an overview of the careers of the great military leaders and the critical political leaders of the American Civil War. Entries consider the leader's character and pre-war experience, their contributions to the war effort, and the war's impact on the rest of their lives. An assessment of their historical treatment puts their long-term reputations on the line, and results in a thorough revision of some leaders, a call for further study of others, and a reaffirmation of the accomplishments of the greatest leaders.

In The Great Commanders of the American Civil War, the best military leaders of both sides are pitted against each other and their strengths and weaknesses examined – Robert E. Lee versus George Meade at Gettysburg, Ulysses S. Grant versus Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh, William Tecumseh Sherman versus John Bell Hood in the March to the Sea, along with eight other pairs. The book also explores a decisive battle between each pair of adversaries, highlighting the decisions made and why the battle was won. Each featured battle includes a contextual introduction, a description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially commissioned color map illustrating the dispositions and movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader grasp the course of each battle. Featuring full-color illustrations, paintings and photographs alongside the battle maps.

The outcomes of campaigns in the Civil War often depended on top generals having the right corps commanders in the right place at the right time. Mutual trust and respect between generals and their corps commanders, though vital to military success, was all too rare: Corps commanders were often forced to exercise considerable discretion in the execution of orders from their generals, and bitter public arguments over commanders' performances in battle followed hard on the heels of many major engagements. Controversies that arose during the war around the decisions of corps and army commanders-such as Daniel Sickles's disregard of George Meade's orders at the Battle of Gettysburg-continue to provoke vigorous debate among students of the Civil War. Corps Commanders in Blue offers eight case studies that illuminate the critical roles the Union corps commanders played in shaping the war's course and outcome. The contributors examine, and in many cases challenge, widespread assumptions about these men while considering the array of internal and external forces that shaped their efforts on and off the battlefield. Providing insight into the military conduct of the Civil War, Corps Commanders in Blue fills a significant gap in the historiography of the war by offering compelling examinations of the challenges of corps command in particular campaigns, the men who exercised that command, and the array of factors that shaped their efforts, for good or for ill.

This is a comprehensive history of the American Civil War, providing detailed accounts of key battles and events, as well as biographical sketches of prominent figures. It offers a valuable perspective on this pivotal moment in American history, shedding light on the political, social, and economic factors that led to the conflict. This book is an essential read for anyone interested in American history or military strategy. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This edition comprises two of the greatest works chronicling the Civil War, the abridgement of the Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant and General Armistead L. Long's classic, Memoirs of Robert E. Lee. Illustrated with over 400 drawings and photographs from historically contemporary sources, this work provides the perspectives of that great conflict's greatest generals. The Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant is fast-paced, colorful, lucid, and laced with flashes of humor, while the shortened version of Memoirs of Robert E. Lee is the most detailed view of Lee in action -- he died before writing his own memoirs. It's a vivid first-hand portrait of Lee just as the author set it down over a century ago.

"James M. McPherson’s Tried by War is a perfect primer . . . for anyone who wishes to under­stand the evolution of the president’s role as commander in chief. Few histo­rians write as well as McPherson, and none evoke the sound of battle with greater clarity." —The New York Times Book Review The Pulitzer Prize–winning author reveals how Lincoln won the Civil War and invented the role of commander in chief as we know it As we celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, this study by preeminent, bestselling Civil War historian James M. McPherson provides a rare, fresh take on one of the most enigmatic figures in American history. Tried by War offers a revelatory (and timely) portrait of leadership during the greatest crisis our nation has ever endured. Suspenseful and inspiring, this is the story of how Lincoln, with almost no previous military experience before entering the White House, assumed the powers associated with the role of commander in chief, and through his strategic insight and will to fight changed the course of the war and saved the Union.